(A/n: heya readers! thanks for being so patient guys, and i hope u like this chp! as always, read and review! 3)

Chp. 9- So Many Things I Can't Ignore

Upon hearing a knock on her door, Anna bustled over to it but only opened it slightly.

"Hey Tom… umm Bridget isn't feeling too well, you'll probably want to stay out there…" Anna explained and Tom could hear Bridget cursing from what he assumed would be the bathroom.

"She's still real sick yeah?"

"Yeah, I don't think we're gonna be going out tonight… Bridget definitely can't handle food right now." Anna replied with a frown.

"Well did ya still want to grab somethin' to eat with me?"

"Just us?" Anna was a bit taken aback. She hadn't expected him to suggest that.

"Yeah, it'll be like a proper date!" Tom grinned at her and was pleased with his own quick thinking. Anna heard the joking tone in his voice but it didn't stop her heart rate from picking up double time. Still, she was reluctant to leave her best friend with her head in a toilet.

"I don't know, I should probably-"

"Anna if you don't go friggin' go with him I will seriously puke on your pillow!" Bridget shouted from the bathroom. Anna was out the door two seconds later.


"So where we headed?"

Anna and Tom strolled side by side down the block their hotel was on. "I've no idea" Tom admitted.

"I thought this was a date Tom. You need to have these things planned in advance." Anna teased.

"Well for that smartass comment yer walkin' home!"

"We're already walking Tom."

"Yeah well, you can walk by yerself" Tom retorted and laughed.

"You'd let me walk back by myself!?" Anna said and feigned shock.

"Never. But I would walk ten feet behind ya pretendin' to be drunk and shoutin' rude things at ya."

Anna had no response to his goofiness so she just shook her head and laughed at him. Since they'd left London, he seemed more carefree somehow. He wasn't wearing his glasses and usual beanie; it was nice for her to be able to see his entire face.

Tom didn't feel the need for a disguise tonight. The sky was darkening and Liverpool wasn't exactly the most happening spot in England. The street they were on was rather sleepy and quiet; he figured his chances of being recognized weren't very good.

"I think that looks like a pizza place up ahead." Anna pointed a ways up the street. Tom followed where she was pointing and noticed a brightly lit sign.

"Sweet! High-five for pizza Anna!" Tom slapped her hand enthusiastically and Anna couldn't help but giggle.

"Someone's excited for pizza." She commented dryly.

"'Course I am! I'm starvin'!"

Anna laughed and breathed in the fresh night air deeply. She was in the one place she always wanted to be (Liverpool, England) with a gorgeous musician. So maybe he wasn't John Lennon, but Anna was plenty satisfied with Tom for company. Could her English holiday get any more perfect?

"Earth to Anna," Tom called softly next to her and grinned. "What are you thinkin' about?"

Anna easily returned his smile. "I'm just really glad you agreed to come" she admitted.

"Me too," Tom said sincerely. Anna suddenly felt something grab her hand and realized that Tom had just taken it in his. She didn't even have to look at their joined hands for her stomach to perform stunning acrobatics. Her holiday had just surpassed perfection at a million miles per hour.

"I haven't been on a real date in like, forever," Tom mused suddenly.

"Me either."

"What's yer excuse?" Tom nudged Anna's shoulder playfully. Simply shrugging she replied, "The last serious boyfriend I had was my junior year at college. I haven't had much time for stuff like that since then. You?"

Tom weighed his words carefully before answering. "It's hard to date when you do music for a livin'. I don't have a lotta free time."

"You just took a week off to come with me" Anna pointed out.

"Well yeah, but that's cos the rest of the band's on break too. This is pretty rare, trust me."

"How did you all meet and start your band?"

"Pizza first, questions later." Tom teased as they came up to their destination.


"So what 'appened with the college boyfriend?" Tom and Anna decided to explore more of the area they were staying in as they walked and munched on their slices at the same time.

"I thought I had asked you a question first?" Anna narrowed her eyes at him, letting Tom know that she wasn't letting him get off that easy.

"We'll take turns. So, if ya please, my question first." Tom offered a compromise.

Anna narrowed her eyes again, but a smile betrayed her. Her expression became thoughtful as she chewed her pizza and considered how to answer.

"I was with this guy for about … a year. But junior year was tough, and we were both so busy all the time. It could have worked I guess if we had tried harder. I guess there just wasn't enough…spark there to keep it going. We're still on good terms and everything."

"Did he just not measure up to Lennon?" Tom teased her. To his surprise, Anna gave a serious answer.

"That was actually a problem with guys for me in high school. I just set this impossible standard for guys based on a … fictional perception I guess, of some dead musician that I had never even met. No one could have measured up to that! Pretty pathetic huh?" Anna was a little embarrassed that she had just admitted all that to the very attractive man next to her, but she liked being able to be honest with Tom. She remembered those awkward high school years when John Lennon had been the man of her dreams and how she would constantly compare any guy she was with to him. What she didn't tell Tom was that when she was with him, she didn't have any other guy on her mind.

"It's not pathetic. Pathetic is comin' to England on holiday to visit every Beatles site known to man." Tom shot her a cheeky grin and Anna playfully smacked his arm.

"Pathetic is knocking a poor, defenseless tourist to the ground by smacking her in the face with a door." She countered.

"Are ya ever gonna let me live that down?" He asked and sighed dramatically.

"Never."

The two threw their empty plates in a rubbish bin and kept going.

Tom's expression suddenly became serious and he stopped walking. Anna followed suit and looked up at him curiously.

"Could I try and make it up to ya?" He was very close to her now, and began to lean his head towards her, but Anna was one step ahead of him.

Placing her hand on his chest, she pushed a step back from him. "That part comes at the end of the date Tom. You're skipping ahead." Anna gave him a sly smile and began walking again.

Tom stood motionless for a second, a bit shocked at her actions. Did she really just deny him a kiss? Shaking his head and chuckling, he followed after her.

"Well that was very cheeky of ya." He said in bemusement.

"Well it's my turn to ask you a question. And besides, this is supposed to be a proper date. If any kissing is to be done, it's at the end of the night." Anna was glad Tom was the kind of person that had taken her action as playful instead of as a rejection. Obviously, she had wanted to make out with him right there in the middle of the sidewalk, but this way, he wouldn't be able to distract her from trying to get to know more about him.

"So how did your band get started?"

Tonight was different. Tom let Anna ask not just one question, but as many as she liked as they walked along. He answered as truthfully as he could under his circumstances and was actually pleased with the way things were going. He was able to talk to her and tell her things about his life, without technically lying. Tom just had to keep telling himself that omission was not on the same level as outright lying.

It felt good though, talking with Anna, even when he had to answer the simplest of questions. He couldn't begin to count the number of times he had been asked by an interviewer what his favorite color was or what he liked to do before he went onstage. But with Anna, it was like having a normal conversation with a person who truly knew nothing about him and was genuinely interested in getting to know him instead of firing off question after question trying to get the latest McFly scoop.

All too soon, the pair found themselves back at the hotel. As they walked down the corridor together, Tom turned to her. "Should I walk ya to yer door?" he asked with a smirk.

"I don't want to put you to any trouble. I know how far it is from your room." She joked.

"No trouble at all Miss Torre" he responded and tipped an imaginary hat to her. They came to a stop outside Anna's room.

"I had a great time tonight Tom." Anna said, trying to sound as cliché as possible.

"Glad to hear it. Let's do this again sometime soon. I'll call ya in day or two."

"Ha ha. Yeah right." Anna rolled her eyes at his response.

"What? Are you suggestin' that I would forget to call?" He asked in mock outrage.

"Yes."

"You underestimate me Anna. You think I'd let two days go by without callin' a girl like you?"

Though they had been previously joking around, Tom had meant that last statement and Anna didn't know how to respond. The sudden change in the tone of conversation had her mind whirling; not to mention that fact that the compliment he had just paid her had left Anna completely speechless.

Anna was a deer in headlights and Tom decided to seize his opportunity. Sidling up to her, he placed both hands gently on either side of her face and lowered his face to hers. He kissed her gently, but soundly on her lips, relishing in the softness of them as their mouths moved together. Anna's mind was completely blank as all she could do was attempt to react to this pleasant turn of events. Before she could even get her arms to come out of shock and wrap them around Tom, he ended the kiss and pulled away.

Running a long, lanky hand through her dark hair, Tom whispered "Good night Anna" and turned to go into his room.

As he shut his door, he peered out the peep hole to see if Anna was still there. Sure enough, she was still standing dumbstruck outside her door in the exact position he had left her in. Then, she suddenly seemed to remember herself and attempted to slide the key into her own door. Anna fumbled and dropped her key not once, but twice as she attempted to get back into her room. Tom chuckled at her flustered state and turned to get into his bed.

And although tonight had been amazing, particularly the last five minutes, a cynical voice in his head decided to speak up. Don't get too used to this Tom it whispered. After this week is over, you can say goodbye to being normal again. Enjoy your little escape now, because you'll never have an ordinary life.